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My atomic wall clock loses time?

Hi

I actually have 2 atomic clocks that receive the time by radio waves from Rugby I believe. One is on the wall and runs on batteries, the other is plugged in and is used as my bedside clock.

Both of these clocks have "reversed" time by 20mins a few times at random, i.e. it is 9.50am but they show 9.30am. This does not happen to both at the same time, it's always one or the other. I want to know how this could possibly happen if they are auto-corrected by radio waves?? It is becoming very annoying because I actually left the house 20mins early one day thinking I was late. Any ideas?

5 Answers

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  • GeeCee
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Get a watch.

  • 5 years ago

    All clocks depend on some physical property that has some kind of rhythm or regular action. A pendulum is an example. In a mechanical watch a spring and wheel oscillate one way then the other. The rest of the clock simply counts the number of times the regulator acts and displays the outcome. For a long time the rotation of the earth was considered the standard for keeping time. As technology progressed the vibration of quartz crystals became a superior regulator for a couple of good reasons the vibrations produced an electrical signal and the material is very stable so the regulation is quite accurate. Technology has progressed even further and it was discovered that certain materials vibrate (for want of a better term) at the atomic level with even better regularity. Clocks that use this atomic vibration are called atomic clocks. These clocks are very accurate. The Federal government operates some of the most accurate of these clocks and broadcasts the time over the airwaves. The clocks you can buy at the drugstore are really quartz regulated clocks that are periodically checked against the broadcast signal and reset as needed. Mine checks once every day.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    On the positive side they are 100% correct twice a day!

  • 1 decade ago

    If they are within the gurantee period, first of all speak to the supplier.

    If not, then speak to the manufacturer.

    If they are of doubtful pedigree and come from the honourable Far East I would scrap them.

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I would throw them away and get a new clock that give out the right time

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